After athletes win a championship they always say something like this: “I gotta thank God for giving me this opportunity. Besides the birth of my child this is the greatest moment in my life.” Now, I’ve never had a baby, so maybe it really is as magical as everyone makes it out to be, but there are a few sporting events I think I would be even more excited to see in person than Ryan Jr.’s crying face. The Sentinel Sports Staff had a long debate about the five contests we would like to attend the most.
Three rules:
- It has to be a one day event. You can’t say the March Madness tournament; you have to pick a specific round.
- You can’t have more than one event from a certain sport on the list. If you’re a big time golf fan, you don’t pick all the majors. Do you want to see Sunday at the British Open or Sunday at the Masters more?
- You can’t pick the teams involved. For instance, you can say the Super Bowl, but not the Raiders in the Super Bowl. You could say Raiders vs. Broncos, because that happens every year.
Here are the Sentinel’s picks:
Mine:
1. Liverpool match at Anfield: I know little about soccer, but check out this video of Liverpool fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Best crowd in sports, and I want to be a part of it someday. I’ve been singing along with this song on my iPod so I’m ready when the moment comes.
2. Stanley Cup Finals Game 7: Hockey is the best sport to watch in person, and the NHL has the best playoffs in sports.
3. World Series Game 7: Nothing about a big baseball game really excites me, because it could easily be a 8-2 snoozer. But when something great happens in the World Series, it always seems more memorable than in any other setting.
4. Wimbledon final: There’s always a chance it’s an epic five-setter. I hold my breath before a big point in tennis. Few moments make me do that.
5. NASCAR summer race at Bristol: It’s been described as watching jets race in a gymnasium. Short track. 33-degree banked turns. 165,000 screaming fans under the lights. Give me a 40 of of Bud and a sleeveless t-shirt, and I’m there.
I.A. Stewart (Sentinel Correspondent):
1. Soccer World Cup Final: There is no argument.
2. Stanley Cup Finals: If it’s in Canada, better. Imagine a Leafs-Canadiens Game 7 in Montreal. If you haven’t been to an NHL playoff game, you haven’t witnessed sports passion.
3. Ohio State at Michigan: At the Big House, the Big-10 championship is usually on the line. Big-time college football doesn’t get much bigger.
4. NCAA Final Four: For some reason, the Final Four seems like a bigger deal than the national championship.
5a. Rugby: New Zealand vs. England, Australia, Scotland, whoever: Rabid fans, brutal sport. Beer.
5b. Any Chuck Liddell UFC fight.
5c. X Games Moto X best trick: You might see something you can’t believe.
Ryan Phillips (Sentinel Sports Editor):
1. World Series Game 7: I’m sure the feeling in the stadium is “electric.”
2. The Super Bowl: So I don’t have to watch the commercials.
3. Pool play at World Cup: Multiple games. Multiple parties.
4. The Rose Bowl: See what I’ve been missing as a Cal fan all these years.
5. The Kentucky Derby: Mint juleps and fancy hats … what else do you need to know?
Julie Jag (Sentinel Assistant Sports Editor):
1. The Eddie (aka the Quicksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau): A once-every-blue-moon event with big name surfers and even bigger waves. Plus, it means a trip to Hawaii.
2. World Cup Finals: Anytime, anywhere, any team. Always a raucous spectacle.
3. NCAA Final Four: It’s madness baby! Final Four because you get more games and usually they make for a better matchup than the final.|
4. Running of the Bulls: On the day they release the most dangerous bulls. I’ll save my running for the day after.
5. Wimbledon Finals: The decorum, the history, plus the flair of the Williams’ sisters and the good looks of Roger Federer and James Blake. Hopefully the WIlliams sisters would make the final.
6. The Olympics: I didn’t officially include this one because I couldn’t decide on a specific event or day. Maybe the gymnastics final or ski jump?
(I also would have included these events if I hadn’t already done them (why double up?)):
-The Kentucky Derby: Amazing event. I sat and imbibed in the field, bit I’d love to go with a big hat and sit in the stands.
-The Western States 100 or Hardrock 100: Any serious running race where people push themselves way past their limits. Makes you realize how much you can do if you want.
- Maverick’s: An event everyone in the Monterey Bay should see at least once, especially from a boat.
Jim Seimas (Sentinel Sports Reporter):
1. First day of San Fermin Festival: To watch, and perhaps participate, in the Running of the Bulls. How do you top that history and craziness?
2. Stanley Cup Game 7 (preferably at the Shark Tank): There’s something about playoff hockey that’s amazing, not only the emotion and on-ice product, but the fan enthusiasm. It gets loud at indoor venues; I love that. Plus, you gotta love the history of the playoff beard.
3. World Series Game 7 (preferably at Fenway or Wrigley): Is there any better venue to see a game than those ballparks? Well, San Francisco’s park is nice, but it’s lacking in the history department.
4. Final Round of the Masters: Amazing, picturesque course, an always great player field, and the coveted green jacked. Count me in. It’s the only thing that will get me to Georgia.
5. The Super Bowl: I just want to be part of the greatest spectacle in sports. Personally, I like watching pro football on TV. It’s just a better seat with the replays, commercials and all. But being there is something I have yet experienced.Christina Gullickson (Sentinel Correspondent):
1. Running of the Bulls.
2. A real hockey game on outdoor, natural ice: Even a scrimmage would be cool.
3. The Flying ELVI.
4. Lumberjack Games in Scotland
5. India vs. anybody in cricket.
Honorable Mentions: Boston College vs. Boston Universtiy College Hockey, Yankees at Red Sox, Olympic Skiing Super G, Sunday at the British Open (at St. Andrews preferable), Iron Bowl (Auburn vs. Alabama), U.S. Open Tennis Final, Colorado Avalanche at Detroit Red Wings. Indy 500. Paris Roubaix aka The Hell of the North (260 kilometer race over cobblestone, through the cold and rain, with tons of wipe outs. Europe at its finest).
Post the events you want to see the most.
